ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County judge heard Thursday from attorneys for the man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s daughter, killing her and then hiding her body in the woods.
A jury found Sanel Saint Simon guilty last month for the 2014 death of 16-year-old Alexandria Chery.
He’s now facing the death penalty.
His attorneys are asking the judge to allow family and friends from Haiti to testify on Saint Simon’s behalf via video conference.
“There is a treaty between Haiti and the United States and perjury is is covered as an extraditable offense,” said defense attorney Erin Hyde.
The attorneys told the judge that Saint Simon was severely abused as a child and was neglected by his mother.
They want his family to describe the "dismal and impoverished" conditions Saint Simone was raised in and how he was "treated as a servant" growing up.
Prosecutors were worried there’s no way to ensure people testifying on foreign soil will tell the truth.
They told the judge they haven’t been able to question the defense witnesses in advance.
“If I speak to his cousin who says, ‘I grew up with him from such and such dates in such and such town and this was our experience,’ but then I speak to another witness who says that witness wasn’t around, well, now I have a problem,” said prosecutor Ryan Williams.
Verifying the potential testimony that Saint Simon was abused is key for prosecutors.
It would take one juror to feel like a bad past excused the murder.
The death penalty requires a unanimous vote. Without that, Saint Simon will spend life in prison.
The judge did not make a decision.